Diagnosis

Prepare for a colonoscopy

synonym

Exam preparation, colonoscopy, intestinal examination

English: preparation for colonoscopy

definition

A colonoscopy is a diagnostic measure in which the inside of the large intestine can be inspected and diagnosed with a flexible endoscope.

Prepare for the colonoscopy

To prepare for the colonoscopy, the colon must first be cleaned laxative drug to take in

The instrument with which one Colonoscopy is carried out is called Colonoscope. It belongs to the group of endoscopes. A colonoscope is an endoscope specially designed for intestinal examination. This colonoscope consists of a partially flexible tube with a camera attached to the tip. It consists of flexible glass fibers that are approximately 10 micrometers in diameter.
A glass fiber strand is made up of approx. 40,000 individual fibers. One light and one color point is transmitted per fiber. From the tip of the colonoscope, the images captured by the camera can be passed along the fibers and made visible on a monitor. In addition to flexible endoscopes, there are also rigid endoscopes, which are primarily used for examinations of the Rectum be used because only a short distance has to be covered here. If, on the other hand, the entire colon is to be examined, a 1m -1.5 m long flexible endoscope required ..

In addition to the camera attached to the tip, there is also a cavity running along the hose through which a wire can be passed, with a small clamp at the tip. The clamp can be used to take tissue samples from the intestine during a colonoscopy. The clamp can be controlled from the outside during the examination. Furthermore, there is a very bright light on the tip of the colonoscope, which is intended to ensure a suitable view for the examiner during the diagnosis. Furthermore, air can be fed into the intestine via a colonoscope and fluid can be sucked out again.

eat

In order to be able to perform a colonoscopy, the Intestines of the patient completely emptied and cleaned be.
If there are still food residues in the intestine, the examining doctor cannot assess the conditions in the intestine very well, as they can be seen by the camera or the view of the mucous membrane is only limited.

For this reason, it is very important that the patient follows a few dietary rules a few days before his colonoscopy so that the patient can have a cleaned intestines can come for examination.

In advance of a colonoscopy, it is important to remember the dietary rules for preparation four to five days to be observed before the examination. If this is started later, there is no longer enough time to empty and cleanse the bowel.

If a person takes in food, it takes a long way through the Digestive tract until the indigestible remains are excreted again.
After staying in stomach the food must that four to six meters long small intestine to then pass into the Large intestine to get to the further 1.5 meters measures.

This lasts between two and five days and depends on how easily digestible the food is and how hard the intestines work.

Five days before the examination:
Already five days before the examination no fruit and vegetables with small seeds more to be eaten. These include, for example, tomatoes, cucumbers, kiwis and grapes.
Furthermore should high fiber foods like whole grain products and bulking agents (e.g. Wheat bran) can be removed from the menu.

Two days before the examination:
Two days before the examination should now also Dairy products and bloating food like legumes or cabbage are omitted.
Anything fruit and vegetables should also not be eaten any more, instead light, not difficult to digest such as white flour products, rice or poultry.

One day before the examination:
On the day before the examination, only one light breakfast be taken at noon it is still possible Broth without a deposit to eat.
You are not allowed to eat anything for the rest of the day, but drinking spritzers, water and the like is allowed.

Drinks like black tea or coffee are not recommended as they can stain the intestinal lining.
This can mean that the intestinal mucosa cannot be easily assessed during the colonoscopy.

The day before the examination, you must also start taking the laxative, the scheme of which depends on the product in question.

chocolate

Consumption of chocolate should also be done the day before the colonoscopy be omitted. The chocolate can discolor the intestinal wall and falsify results. Up to two days in advance, however, it is harmless in small quantities, since it is a low-fiber diet.

banana

At Bananas it is a low-fiber fruit that does not contain any seeds. Up to three days before the colonoscopy is safe to consume. After that, the diet should be replaced by light, low-fat food.

Drink

The food must be checked more closely a few days before the colonoscopy. The day before you are only allowed to liquid to take in. Water and broth, as well as other clear drinks are harmless. Coffee or black tea should be avoided as this can affect the test result.
On the evening before the examination, the 2 liters of drinking solution are started to be consumed. In most cases, the first liter is drunk the evening before and the second the next morning. Sometimes both liters have to be drunk in the evening. Remnants of clear liquid are not a problem in the colonoscopy, as they can be suctioned off with the endoscope.

Smoke

It is recommended not on the day of the examination to smoke. More than 6 hours in advance, however, it is harmless. The ingredients of smoking, especially that nicotine acts on the body and takes some time to break down. Nicotine itself has a laxative effect and can possibly influence the effect of the laxative used.
Additionally it can too Interactions with the anesthetic during the colonoscopy.

laxative

In order to be able to assess the intestinal mucosa properly, the intestine must completely emptied and cleaned be. For this reason, following the dietary rules in advance of the examination is not sufficient to prepare the bowel for the colonoscopy.
It is necessary in advance laxative to take. There are many different laxatives that can be used in preparation for the colonoscopy, and the examining doctor will recommend a preparation to his patients.

The schedule for taking the laxative depends on the preparation chosen, but the basic process is mostly similar.
For the optimal effect of the laxative it is important that the day before the colonoscopy after breakfast nothing fixed more can be eaten.

The laxatives only work in combination with a lot of liquidwhy the patient drink a lot have to. This is often found to be very uncomfortable.

Most preparations require the first dose to be taken the evening before the examination (e.g. Moviprep®, Citrafleet®).
The laxative must be dissolved in water for this. The amount of water varies depending on the preparation a few milliliters up to 2-3 liters and can be found in the package insert.

The laxatives usually don't taste particularly good, so drinking them takes some effort.

In addition to the solution with the laxative usually need an additional few liters of clear liquid to be drunk. Water, apple juice spritzer or fruit / herbal tea are suitable, coffee or black tea are unsuitable because they can possibly color the intestinal mucosa and make it more difficult to assess the mucosal conditions.

The day of the examination must be in the morning some hours Laxatives should be drunk with plenty of water before the examination, the amount and the exact times will vary.
One to three hours fluid intake should be completed prior to the examination.

It is important to make sure that towards the end of the laxation only colorless liquid excreted from the intestine. This is a sign that the intestines empty and cleaned is.
If this is not the case, you should contact the practice or hospital where the colonoscopy will be performed by telephone and seek advice on whether additional laxatives are required or whether the cleansing with the help of an enema should be completed before the colonoscopy.

Moviprep®

The term Moviprep® is a laxative that is intended to cleanse the intestine, especially the large intestine, before a colonoscopy. So that the mucous membrane of the intestinal section to be examined can be examined properly, no residues of past food in the intestine must block the path.
One pack of Moviprep® is put into a total of 2 liters of water to obtain a solution. The administration and the procedure for taking it will be explained in advance by a doctor or pharmacist. The 2 liters of water, some of which are drunk the evening before the examination and some the next morning, should achieve a complete cleansing of the colon.
You have to expect that liquid stool will go off when you absorb the solution and should therefore stay near a toilet. After drinking Moviprep® and having a colonoscopy, the stool should normalize on its own.
However, side effects can occur in the form of abdominal pain (abdominal pain after colonoscopy), nausea, hunger, thirst and vomiting.
The use of Moviprep® is a standard procedure in everyday hospital life and is generally harmless.
However, if you have a number of pre-existing conditions, you should avoid Moviprep® and other laxatives. These include intestinal obstruction, allergies to ingredients and individual metabolic diseases.

enema

An enema is the injection of liquid into the large intestine to clean the last section of the intestine.
In contrast to the laxative, the last section of the bowel is cleaned from behind. The enema, or "enema syringe", is used when other laxatives fail, when there are intestinal passage problems, in preparation for a colonoscopy or before operations.
Sometimes a colonoscopy has to be done spontaneously, whereby the enema is used to briefly cleanse the intestine. Subsequent diarrhea and liquid stool can also be expected here.

Read more on this topic at: enema